


Passing Through Space

by PanicFOB



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fear of Heights, Fluff, Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-10-14 23:03:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20608799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PanicFOB/pseuds/PanicFOB
Summary: Who better to be your tandem skydiving coach than the Winter Soldier? Inspired by the lyrics of I'll Follow You by Shinedown.





	Passing Through Space

**Author's Note:**

> Another request by one of my followers on Tumblr.

“You’re kidding, right?” you stared at the papers in front of you that were somehow your birthday present from your best friend.

Stark Industries was hosting a charity event with all the Avengers. Anyone in New York could pay a hefty price in order to do something risky alongside one of the team members. There was NASCAR racing with Tony Stark, rock climbing with Black Widow, white water rafting with Captain America, cliff diving with the Falcon, and rough terrain mountain biking with Hawkeye. Your friend, Kelly, had chosen none of these activities for you, however. She had paid for you to go skydiving with the Winter Soldier.

“I’m not kidding, no.”

“But, but…. Not that I’m not incredibly grateful for everything you do for me, but why would you think this would be something I would enjoy?”

“You never try anything new or thrilling. And you’ll be perfectly safe: you’ll have a super-soldier strapped to your back.”

“You’re doing it too, right?”

“Skydiving? Nope. I’ll be white water rafting with Captain America.”

“See that sounds like a perfectly normal and safe thing to do. Why are you doing that and I’m expected to jump from a plane?”

“One, Steve Rogers is fine as fuck and I’m on a mission to win him over.”

You narrowed your eyes at her. She was really abandoning you in a life-risking situation for a sexy man.

“Two, I think it’s finally time you get over your fear of heights, and this is a perfectly safe way to do it.”

“A fear of heights is not something you just get over. Let me just throw a fucking cobra in your face and see how fast you get over your fear of snakes, Kelly.”

“I think you’re getting a little too worked up about this. Come on, Y/N. It’s for charity.”

“Well, you already paid for it, so even if I don’t go, the charity will still get the money.”

“True. But I really think you should give it a try. It’s a once in a lifetime experience, and not just because you’ll be skydiving, but because you’ll be doing it with Bucky Barnes. Who is also gorgeous, btw.”

“You think every man is gorgeous.”

She shrugged. “So sue me.”

That had been one month ago when you had found out about Kelly’s terrible birthday gift to you. Now you were being led through the Avengers compound with some of the other individuals who had donated to charity in order to be a part of this event. The group of you arrived at a jet, and the Winter Soldier was standing just outside, wearing his long hair tied up and dark sunglasses over his eyes.

“Hello everyone. I’m Bucky Barnes. As you may know, we’ll be doing some skydiving today. Now, before we get started, is anyone here afraid of heights?”

You glanced at the others around you, not a single one raised their hand. You suspected they were all putting on a brave face, when most of them were probably just as terrified as you felt. You thought that this might be Bucky Barnes’ way of giving you an out.

And it was the truth, anyway: you had always hated heights. You raised your hand.

Bucky nodded at you. “Right, you’ll be with me then. Everyone, on the jet.”

“What?” you uttered.

“What do you mean she’ll be with you? I thought we were all skydiving with you,” a woman to your left remarked.

“Well, I’m here, and you’ll all be skydiving, but there’s only one of me and eight of you. So, the other seven will be accompanied by other Avengers agents who are already waiting on the plane.”

“That’s not what I signed up for,” the woman complained.

“You’re welcome to leave,” Bucky told her in a very no-nonsense attitude. A tiny smirk crept up on your face.

The man boarded the jet, and you all followed, even the whiny woman, although quite reluctantly. You took a seat and quickly fastened your seatbelt with shaking hands. Each of the professional divers, aka Avengers agents, took their seats next to the person they would be diving with. This meant that Bucky eventually plopped down in the empty seat next to you just as the jet was taking off. You couldn’t help the audible gasp you let out when the plane was no longer touching ground.

“That bad, huh?”

“I’m deathly afraid of heights, yeah.”

“And you signed up for this, why?”

“It was a birthday gift from my friend. Would have been rude to say no.” Your fists were clenched so hard in your lap that your knuckles were turning white. Bucky must have noticed this too because he grabbed your hand in his.

“Hey, I’ve done this a thousand times, okay? I’ll be right above you the whole time, following all the way down.”

“I know, I know. But that’s just it, an irrational fear can’t be subsided by using rationality. I understand it’s a relatively safe activity. I believe you when you say you’re a pro at it, but none of that matters in the paralyzing phobia that is my brain right now.”

“You’re right, of course. The only advice I can give is don’t look at the ground, look at the blue, feel all the empty space we’ll be traveling through. That’s the thrilling and sublime part about skydiving, you’re traveling at amazing speeds through empty space with only gravity propelling you. It’s not falling, it’s flying.”

Your hand loosened only slightly under his.

“Do you have a name, by the way?”

“It’s Y/N,” you told him.

He suddenly stood. “Okay, Y/N. We’re first up.”

“What?!”

He began instructing the whole group on how to get into their harnesses. He attached a parachute to himself, grabbed your hand, and walked you over to the jet door that was now opening.

“Bucky, I really can’t do this.”

“Look at me, Y/N.”

You did, and it was then that you realized how perfectly steel-blue his eyes were. They were pinning you intensely, Bucky trying to send you courage through his stare. “You can do this.”

“Okay,” you said, your voice sounding slightly less terrified.

“The first step is on you, and the second one is on me. We don’t go until you think you’re ready. When you believe it, you take the first step, but after that point, it’s on me and we’ll be flying. Got it?”

You gulped loudly and nodded your head. Bucky stood behind you and attached your harness to his. The two of you slowly approached the edge of the open doorway together. The wind was whipping around your face, and it made you feel like you were suffocating for a moment.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Bucky reminded you, his mouth mere inches from your right ear.

You looked out at the empty blue sky rather than at your foot as you took that first step into nothingness. When Bucky followed, a scream of horror erupted from your throat.

“Jesus, Y/N. You’re gonna bust my eardrums!” Bucky shouted from above you.

You reminded yourself over and over again that this man would never let anything bad happen to you, and before you knew it, he was pulling the parachute, and you were slowing down as the ground neared.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he wondered as your feet touched solid earth.

“Doesn’t mean I’m ever fucking doing it again.”

He belted out a laugh. “Noted,” he said while detaching your harness. “I told you I’d follow you down.”

“Ha. Ha.”

He had steered the two of you rather close to the compound, so it was only a short walk back. Your hands were still shaking, but it was more from adrenaline than fear now.

Once you reached the spot where the plane had taken off from, Bucky stopped and turned to you. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not gonna have nightmares for years over this, are you?”

Because your nerves had subsided, you were finally able to appreciate just how handsome and charming Bucky Barnes was.

“No need to worry about me, Bucky. The scary part is over.”

“Right, that’s the positive attitude I was looking for.” He gave you a winning smile, all his pearly whites on display.

“Thank you for making me feel safe.”

“My pleasure.”

You were about to head back to the main building where your personal items had been stored, when Bucky gently grabbed your hand. “You got a phone number, Y/N?”

Your face flushed scarlet, and you bit your bottom lip. “I do.”


End file.
